Unfinished business
by YceQueen
Summary: Their trip to the Underworld becomes even more personal when Emma runs into old loved ones, and finally finds out the truth about them.
She was cold. Shivering. Yet adrenaline was coursing through her veins in anticipation. The Underworld wasn't an unfamiliar place. She'd never been there, of course. But there were plenty of stories about it in their world. The Bible, Greek Mythology, Disney and their take on it with Hercules and Meg. For a moment her brain stopped running scenario's. She wondered how big the odds were that they'd run into them here as well. Knowing all the realms and their infinite possibilities, the odds were pretty big. She chuckled a little and then stopped immediately. It had been a while since she'd done that. It felt strange, especially in this situation.

She felt her father's hand on her shoulder, and saw that the fog was disappearing. She braced herself for the worst. Fire, demons, those pesky hellhounds. But then the fog cleared and they were all baffled. In front of them was the lake they had just crossed. They were standing on the grass they'd just been standing on, in the same town they supposedly just left.

Emma looked around. "What the hell is this? It didn't work?"

"Oh, it worked alright, Miss Swan," Gold answered.

"Really? Cause it seems we're still in Storybrooke," Regina spat at him.

"You of all people should know that just because something seems to be something, it doesn't mean it actually is," Gold replied.

"What does that mean? We just crossed the lake into the fog, on our way to the Underworld. Yet here we are now, still in Storybrooke," Emma said.

"Yes. And no." Gold started walking toward the town.

Emma sighed in exasperation. She learned a long time ago to never question Gold when it came to situations like these. So, she followed him, with the rest in tow.

After about 5 minutes, they entered the town. And that's when Emma knew Gold was right. It looked like Storybrooke, yes. But it was different. The sky was gray, and there was dust in the air. Most of the buildings were damaged, with the library's clock laying on the town square. There were plenty of people on the streets, but they almost seemed like zombies, walking without a sense of direction, without any sign of life in their eyes.

The group came to a stop. "How is this possible?" Emma enquired.

"The Underworld isn't just one place. It's where it has to be, where a person wants it to be." Gold said.

"I'm pretty sure we didn't want it to be our town," Emma said.

"And yet that's how we made it. Your pirate died on the grounds of Storybrooke, so that's where the Underworld kept him. In their version of Storybrooke. And it's where we had to go in order to find him. This is our reality now."

"Who are all these people?" Emma asked.

"The deceased. Those who died in Storybrooke," Gold answered.

"So, how come they're not attacking us? Aren't these evil spirits?" David asked.

"Hardly." Gold gestured at them. "The Underworld is not just a place where all the damned and evil souls go. It's a place where people with… unfinished business go. Those who are not yet at peace. Some stay here a while, until they are ready to move on. Others stay here indefinitely. Unable to forgive or forget. Unable to let go. Those are the ones we eventually have to watch out for."

"Right, so we might get attacked after all. Let's make this easy then. First stop is the sheriff station. Let's get some weapons, protection. With all the villains who died in Storybrooke, who knows who we'll run into." Emma said. She squinted her eyes a bit, trying to focus on something in the distance. She could've sworn she saw a long, black/white car racing around, but then it was gone again.

"Emma, are you okay?" Snow asked. She looked worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go."

She headed for the station and the rest followed. Henry caught up to her. "Are you sure you're okay, mom? No one would blame you if you weren't, you know. You've been through quite a lot."

"Thanks kid. But I'm alright. Even better when we get the hell out of here."

Henry linked his arm into hers. "Hook's gonna be fine. I know he is. And if you're worried about the villains we might find here, well, we can handle them, too. You're the Savior, remember?"

She smiled. "When did you get so wise, huh?"

"I was raised by heroes, remember? Plus, I'm the author now, too. I think that helps."

She hugged him. "Well, I'm just glad things between us are good again. I love you."

"I love you too, mom."

They arrived at the station, which seemed to be in better shape than most of the buildings. Emma moved in front of Henry, raised her gun and then slowly pushed open the door. She checked every inch within her eyesight, not wanting to miss any surprises.

Then she heard noises coming from the office. She gestured at her parents to keep Henry back. She slowly went around the office until she got a clear view. A man was standing in the office, his back turned to her. He was tall, had brown, slightly curled hair and wore a brown leather jacket. Emma frowned, and she immediately looked over at the coat rack in the corner of the office, that seemed to be missing a brown leather jacket.

Her brain was too slow to catch up. She knew what it was trying to tell her, but for some reason, she couldn't quite understand it.

"Emma?" David whispered worriedly, though still not quietly enough.

The man turned to Emma, and she felt her arms go heavy. She was hit with several emotions at once and she couldn't move. She could barely breathe.

The man's face lit up. "Emma." Then his expression changed. He now seemed worried, almost angry. "No, what are you doing here?"

"Ehm, it's a—it's a long story," Emma managed to find her voice. "What are you doing here, are you..? You can't be one of the villains, can you?"

"Villain? Hardly. I'm here for different reasons."

"Yeah, Gold said there might be people with unfinished business," Emma said. She felt a little unstable as Graham walked up to her.

"Gold? Rumplestiltskin is here as well?"

"Hmm. Like I said; it's a long story. But you… what sort of unfinished business would you have?"

Graham looked almost amused. "Well, I was murdered rather abruptly. Wasn't much I could do or say after that."

Emma looked confused. "Murdered? No you, you died of a heart attack."

"Rather difficult for someone to die of a heart attack, when one doesn't have a heart, now isn't it?"

Emma frowned and tried to take in what he said, what he meant. "You told me you had to find your heart. That it was missing. But who…?" Her voice trailed off as the realization hit her. In her world, The Huntsman's part in Snow White's story ended with him returning a deer's heart to the Evil Queen. She must've found out. So what, she took his instead? And then she thought of Graham in Storybrooke, how he always seemed to be under Regina's control, despite his own best efforts to fight it.

And anger took over. She turned to the group, which was still standing speechlessly at the entrance of the station.

"You did this? You murdered him." Emma launched herself at Regina and pushed her against the wall.

"You murdered him, didn't you? You took his heart back in the Enchanted Forrest and you kept it with you when you went to Storybrooke. That night when he finally broke free of you… You took his heart and crushed it, didn't you?" She was now shouting, pushing her arm against Regina's throat.

Regina was gasping for air and tried to push Emma away. When she realized she wasn't strong enough, she raised her hands to use her magic to get Emma away from her.

Nothing happened.

"Looks like you're out of luck, Regina," Emma spat at her.

Graham intervened, pulling Emma away from Regina with ease. "Emma, let go of her, it's alright."

Emma pulled away from him. "No, it's not alright. She murdered you. Had no problem getting rid of you because you decided to live your own life, away from her. You said it yourself; unfinished business."

"Yes, I did. My unfinished business, not yours." Graham spoke calmly.

Emma stared at him, and she understood. That's why he was still here. This was his fight, not hers. She nodded.

Graham turned to Regina, who looked at him without any sign of remorse. "What do you want me to say? I'm sorry? My apologies for controlling you and killing you? Well, I'm not. That's who I was back then. That's not who I am now."

Graham thought for a few seconds before he spoke. "And yet you're still not sorry. You claim to have changed, that you are not the Evil Queen anymore. But here I am, one of your many victims, and you still treat me the same way you did back then. So, in what way have you changed, then?"

Regina remained quiet, but her facial expression did not change.

Graham nodded. "Very well. You murdered me. You will have to live with that. And even if you don't care, you will now have to live with the fact that your friends know. That your son knows. And I suppose that's all I wanted. Or needed. For the truth to come out."

Graham turned back to Emma and stepped closer to her. They didn't say anything, but just studied each other's faces. Emma could feel her heart melt. His face was calm, kind, and loving. He looked at her in the exact same way he'd looked at her that night.

"So, what happens now? Do you have any unfinished business left?" Emma asked him.

"Just one. Are you happy, Emma?"

She had to think about that question for a minute. A lot had been taken from her since she'd arrived in Storybrooke. She'd been broken more than once. She looked behind her. At Henry, who was beaming at the sight of his old friend. At her parents, who couldn't love her anymore. She nodded.

"Yeah, I'm happy."

Graham smiled, and stroke her hair from her face. "Good. I'm glad." He gently placed a kiss on her forehead. Emma closed her eyes and took in his scent for the final time.

"You must go now. And so must I, I suppose." He let go of Emma, who walked back to her parents.

"One more thing," Graham said. "I suppose you are all here to retrieve, say, a lost soul? One that recently arrived here?"

Emma nodded.

"Try the graveyard." Graham laughed at their confusion. "I know, it's obvious, right? And yet I bet it would be the last place for you to look. But it's where the new souls go first."

Emma smiled. "Thank you, Graham. I missed you."

"I missed you too, Emma. Henry, take care of her, alright?"

Henry beamed. "I will. Bye, Graham."

They left the station, now armed with weapons and new information. Emma felt different. Like a weight had been lifted. She never got closure for Graham's death, never knew the truth. Now, she did. It made her feel more at peace, and stronger. For the first time in months, she felt like herself again. Not a princess, or a Savior. But Emma Swan. And Emma Swan could handle the Underworld.


End file.
